Person talking, "It could be."
Person thinking, "I don't like this idea."
Demon speaking / Invocation talking, "No doubt you are someone to be reckoned with."
Demon thinking / Invocation thinking, "His heart is dark!"
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.
Chapter 12
Konohagakure no Sato (at an unknown location) - A Few Hours Before
"That's what happened, Danzō-sama," Sai informed, kneeling before Danzō, who had a blank expression.
"And do you think that Naruto has some attachment to that woman? How are you sure?" Danzō asked.
Sai raised his glance and replied as he pulled a book out from his ninja bag. "Well, I've noticed that Naruto-senpai did many things that this book says. It says that people who have a relationship spend the night together to have lots of sex. I don't know much about that, but I realized that they did that since I could hear things like 'Naruto-kun, you are the best' or 'Naruto-kun, keep it up' or..." Sai couldn't finish because Danzō hit the floor with his cane.
"Enough! I don't care about those things, what I do care is to know what Oni-kun took in Uzu, and what left him in the state in which he is now. I'm sure they'll soon realize that he's in the hospital. You should have brought him here, but that doesn't matter anymore. Sai, I want you to say the following to any available squad; tell them to go to Nami no Kuni immediately. Their mission is to capture this woman and keep her in captivity until we can take advantage of her once Oni wakes up. You won't be on this mission, remember that you will be Oni's new teammate."
Sai nodded and disappeared from there in a swirl of ink.
Meanwhile, Danzō left the room as he thought, "What did you find there, Naruto-kun? I just hope that it wasn't the Uzumaki Apple. Shodaime-sama and Tobirama-sensei told us about the capabilities of that artifact and the story behind it, besides that they could never find it because of the defenses in Uzu. If so, it would be best to put you under my Genjutsu once and for all, so you don't spoil my plans. The best part would be that I'll also have that artifact in my possession and with something like that, nobody will oppose to Konoha or me."
After those thoughts, Danzō then left the room to continue his affairs.
Hospital - Present
"Menma, you're the real Jinchūriki of the Village," Minato stated.
Menma opened his eyes in shock; he couldn't believe it.
Minato knew that this was a delicate issue, so he had already put the privacy seal in the room; he didn't want anyone to know about something like this.
Minato then noticed Menma's expression and could see that he didn't leave his troubled state yet. He approached him, placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Menma, are you okay?"
Menma looked up, seeing the sad expression on his face. He shook his head to disperse the fog in his mind and exclaimed, getting angry, "Oto-san, you must be kidding me!"
Minato sighed and shook his head, "I'm not lying, Menma. You're the real Jinchūriki of the Village; it's a very well-kept secret, very few people know about this," Minato replied, expecting a reaction from his son.
Menma then turned his head and looked at Naruto, who still showed no signs of improvement. "But you always told me that Naruto is the one who has the Kyūbi, in addition to all those things you said about him."
Minato lowered his head as he clenched his fists. After a few seconds, he raised it and Menma could see that his eyes were glassy, but before he could say anything else, Minato spoke. "Well, I didn't lie. Naruto does have the Kyūbi inside him. Well, just his consciousness, but you're the one with all the Kyūbi's power; it was the only thing I could think of that night. As for the other..."
Minato stopped there while a small tear ran down his cheek. "It was the biggest mistake I've made in my life. It's something that is causing a lot of pain in my heart; I know what I did doesn't deserve forgiveness. But I still want him to forgive me, what I did was due to an unfounded fear. Menma, although I think you already know it, Naruto is your twin brother."
Menma was furious, but in the end, he let out a bitter laugh and replied, "You know, Oto-san? Now that you mention it, I realize how stupid I've been all my life. Well, not just me, but all the people in this village. How couldn't we see something as obvious as this?" Menma then rose up from his seat and approached Naruto to have a better look.
Menma frowned and asked, "But what happened to him? Naruto is someone very strong; I don't think anyone could leave him in this state. Do you know what happened, Oto-san?
Minato shook his head and answered, "No...I don't know; my ANBU found him at the entrance of the hospital in this state. I don't understand what happened to him; he should have been on a mission, but he mysteriously arrived here, it's almost like..." And Minato stopped there, opening his eyes significantly.
Menma realized this; he looked with concern to his father and asked, "What happened, Oto-san? Do you know who left him like this?"
Meanwhile, Minato was thinking of a person, with he would have to talk to later. He then shook his head, pushing those thoughts away and responded, "No...It's something else. But Menma let me ask you something. Are not you angry because I hid this from you?"
Menma turned around and replied, "Of course I'm mad at you, Oto-san, and also very disappointed." Hearing that, Minato was even sadder and was about to say something when Menma continued, "But...I can't lecture you; I should have been a little smarter. If I didn't let you influence me so easily, maybe I would have realized this long ago."
Menma then looked back at Naruto, smiled and continued talking, "Well, now I have a real brother. Although I always saw Kakashi-nii like my brother, I always felt that I needed a real one. And now I have one. Oto-san, Naruto is our family, and he should be with us."
When Minato heard this, he smiled and went to Menma, hugging him strongly. "I'll make sure of that, Menma. Once he wakes up, I'll apologize for everything I did. I'll make sure he returns to our family." Minato stated, unable to hold back the tears.
Menma smiled at his father, but then he frowned, "But, Oto-san, how will you do that? On the last mission I had with him, I realized that he doesn't like people who mess with him. How do you think he'll react when he hears this?"
Minato just sighed; he couldn't say anything more because someone knocked on the room's door.
Minato pulled down the privacy seals, walked to the door and opened it, there he saw that three doctors were waiting at the door, one of them said, "Excuse us for interrupting you, Hokage-sama, but we are here to check the status of Naruto-san. Besides, we must clean him and change his clothes. It's just protocol."
Minato nodded and gave way to the doctors, who upon entering, headed towards Naruto. One of them started to examine him with his medical jutsu while the others prepared themselves to clean him.
A few minutes later, the doctor, who was checking on Naruto, shook his head and sighed.
Minato approached him and asked, "Do you already know what he has? Will he be okay?"
The doctor shook his head and answered, "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but my Medical Ninjutsu isn't working on Naruto-san. The only thing I can say is that his brain functions are minimal, and I can't see any improving. I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but I think that Naruto-san won't wake up. And if he does, he won't be the same as before."
Minato and Menma felt a stab in their hearts, and Minato quickly went to the man, grabbed him tightly by his shoulders and shouted, "That can't be possible! You're the best medics in Konoha! You must find a way to heal him."
The medic could feel a slight amount of killing intent, which made him start to sweat, and he replied as quickly as he could, "H-Hokage-sama, I understand your concern. However, if our Medical Ninjutsu doesn't work, we can do little. Only time will tell if Naruto-san can recover. I-I'm sorry."
Minato growled but let him go as he exclaimed, "There has to be someone who can help him!"
The doctor sighed in relief and answered, "Maybe Tsunade-sama, but we haven't seen her since..." But the doctor couldn't finish because Minato announced, "That's it! Tsunade can treat him. Menma, you can stay here or return home; I have to go to a meeting with the council."
Before he could hear Menma's answer, Minato had disappeared from the hospital in a yellow flash.
Menma sighed and observed the medics cleaning his brother. "My brother..." Menma thought, and instantly a smile appeared on his face.
Gates of the Village
"Mendokuse, this mission was boring. I'd have preferred to stay here and watch the clouds instead of going on that annoying mission." Shikamaru stated tiredly in his words.
Team 10 had gone on an escort mission.
Ino sighed, "For once I agree with you, Shika. Anyways, we came back at last. I just want to go home and take a good shower." Everyone nodded at this.
Then they approached the guard post; there were the same guards; Kotetsu and Izumo, one of them had a bored expression on his face while the other one had an attentive look.
Asuma approached them, putting a scroll in front of them. "Hello," he said.
Izumo smiled and asked, "Oh, Asuma. How was your mission?"
Before Asuma could answer, all his Genin said in unison, "Boring."
Asuma smiled and then asked, "Anyway, anything interesting you wish to share?"
Izumo and Kotetsu got serious, which Asuma found strange since they never were that serious. "Yes, something really interesting happened. If you take a walk around the village, I'm sure that you'll find out what it is," Izumo replied with a straight face.
"Okay… Well, thank you very much. Now we're going to Hokage-sama's office," Asuma stated.
After that, he motioned for his Genin to follow him, but before they could leave, Kotetsu spoke, "Well, that's not going to be possible. Hokage-sama won't be able to receive you."
"Why?" Asuma asked, turning around again.
Izumo and Kotetsu looked at each other and then nodded. "Well, the ANBU found Naruto at the hospital's entrance yesterday, and he seemed to be seriously hurt," Kotetsu replied.
Ino approached and asked, more like demanded, "What did you just say?!"
Izumo sighed and responded, "As you've heard, we don't know what happened, but all I know is that he's in a severe condition."
Ino was about to say something, but Asuma spoke again, "And what does Hokage-sama have to do with this?"
"Well, Hokage-sama has everything to do with it. This is what happened while you were out. Hokage-sama recognized Naruto as his son." After saying this, Asuma and Chouji's jaws dropped.
Ino worried; she already knew it, but she was more concerned about other people's reactions, and she wanted to know what happened to Naruto.
Shikamaru sighed and stated, "Mendokuse, it seems that I was right."
Chouji left his state of stupefaction and asked, "Did you know about this, Shika? Why did you never say anything?"
Shikamaru replied, "Because it was very troublesome. Besides, I didn't know how Menma would react to something like that. And I also thought that Hokage-sama never said that for some reason. It was very obvious that Naruto had some relationship with Menma's family, the similarities were always in sight. If the people of the village didn't realize this, it was because they hated Naruto due to the Kyūbi."
Chouji nodded and said no more.
Asuma then left his shocked state and asked, "Are you sure this information is correct? Are you sure it's not a rumor?"
Izumo and Kotetsu shook their heads, and Kotetsu answered, "No, there's more. Hokage-sama spent the whole night in the hospital with Naruto; they say that he nearly killed several medics because they didn't want to treat him."
Asuma sighed and tried to say something more, but he couldn't because he saw Ino running towards the village. "Ino, where are you going?!" Asuma shouted.
Ino turned her head slightly and replied, "You know where I'm going, Sensei! You don't even have to ask!"
Asuma sighed, pulled out a cigarette, lit it and started smoking it.
Izumo asked out of curiosity, "What happened? She was like this since we said Naruto's name."
Shikamaru just said, "Troublesome," as he crossed his hands behind his head.
Asuma replied nothing and continued smoking as he began walking towards the Hokage's Tower along with Shikamaru.
Chouji was the one who answered. "Naruto's girlfriend." With that said, Chouji also followed them.
"So, a couple; huh?" Kotetsu stated.
Izumo sighed and answered, "They said so..."
And they said nothing more; they just stood there, quietly waiting for another Team or visitors.
Near the Department of Interrogation and Torture
Anko and Haku were about to arrive at the Department of I&T for Haku's daily session.
Haku was concerned because Naruto didn't return home yesterday, so she decided to ask Anko about it.
"Anko-san, do you know where Naruto-kun went? Naruto-kun told me he would go on a short mission, and that he would be back yesterday. But he didn't return. I'm worried; I have a bad feeling."
Anko turned her head slightly and replied, "Don't worry, I know Naruto-kun very well; he can take care of himself. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to him."
Haku shook her head at her explanation and retorted, "No, it isn't that. I know he can take care of himself. He already made it clear when he defeated Zabuza-san, but I feel that something terrible has happened him."
"Come on, come on. Don't be so worried; he must be having quality time with your other little friends, and that's why you haven't seen him yet. Or do you also want to have some quality time with Naruto-kun?" Anko replied shamelessly.
Haku blushed a lot at her words, as she thought how it would be like to have 'quality time' with Naruto.
They reached their destination and walked through a few corridors, stopping in front of a door.
Anko opened it and could see Ibiki standing there with a blank expression. "Oh, what are you doing here, Ibiki? I thought you were interrogating some poor bastards. It's strange to see you in the session of my cute Genin." Anko asked, a little surprised to see him there.
Ibiki said nothing. Instead, he looked at Haku, who felt a little intimidated by the look that he was giving her.
He motioned for her to come closer as he said, "Haku-san, it's good to have you here. Sit here; we need to talk."
Haku nodded and went to the seat, but Anko stopped her and asked, "Hey, wait, Ibiki. What do you have in mind? You only use that tone when you're going to interrogate someone. Tell me, what's going on?"
Ibiki looked at her and answered, "It's not that. I just want to talk about her future in the village since Naruto can't be her protector anymore."
Anko and Haku were surprised to hear this; Haku became very concerned because she believed that Naruto got bored of her, and that made her feel a great sadness.
Anko thought it was strange because Naruto had made it clear that he would always help her.
Therefore, she decided to ask before Haku could misunderstand the conversation. "What do you mean, Ibiki? Naruto-kun would never do that; tell me what's going on."
Ibiki then said again, "Sit down… both of you." Anko then released Haku, who quickly took one of the chairs in the room, but Anko stayed standing with crossed arms.
Seeing that, Ibiki sighed, and then he shook his head.
He looked at Haku, who had a sad expression, so he continued. "It seems that you have misinterpreted my words. Naruto didn't say that he didn't want to be your protector anymore. What happened was that Naruto is 'indisposed', and that's why he can't continue being your protector."
Haku felt relieved, but then she asked worriedly, "What do you mean with 'indisposed'?"
Anko also got worried, but she said nothing; she just let Ibiki continue.
Ibiki looked at both and stated, "Naruto was found yesterday in front of Konoha's Hospital in critical condition. From what I have heard, he's in a coma and the medics said that he won't wake up."
Anko and Haku's eyes widened in shock; they tried to say something, but they couldn't due to the revelation.
Ibiki patiently waited until one of them talked, but after several seconds, Anko walked away as she took Haku's hand to get her out of the room.
Ibiki exclaimed, "Hey Anko! Wait! Where do you think you're going? I haven't finished talking to her."
Anko stopped at the door; she turned her head and replied, "I have to see that with my own eyes. I'm Naruto-kun's Sensei; I know what he's capable of, and I can't believe he's in the state that you said," she then left the room along with Haku, heading to Konoha's Hospital.
Ibiki when seeing Anko leaving, he mentally smiled as he thought, "Hehe, it seems that Anko found someone who can stand her attitude, I just hope Naruto wakes up soon, or else Anko will discharge her fury in the interrogations. Haha, I will enjoy watching that."
After that, Ibiki walked out to start working.
Konoha's Hospital - 10 Minutes Later
Menma was still in the hospital watching Naruto; the truth was that he was confused.
He was angry because he father didn't tell him that he had a brother and that this brother was Naruto. But hey, he couldn't blame everything on his father, since he also had acted like a jerk. He would be a hypocrite if he put the blame on his father only.
On the other hand, he was happy, happy because he had a brother, even more since it was Naruto.
He thought that he could learn a lot from him, because of what he had seen so far, Naruto was someone completely different to the other Genin of his generation.
He didn't believe what the doctors said.
Menma was sure that Naruto would wake up at some point, and when that happened, he would try to build a friendship with his brother and apologize for his pitiful behavior at the Academy.
However, his father's words still surprised him. He was the true Jinchūriki of the Village and not Naruto, another reason to apologize because he had to go through all that abuse for something that he didn't have inside.
He also knew that the rumors that said that his father gave him a 'mission' was a lie, and he guessed that someone who heard the facts wrong initiated it.
Menma then looked at Naruto; there was still a doctor in the room. He was monitoring Naruto's vital signs, which still looked pretty bad.
Menma sighed, he got up from his seat and said, "Doctor-san, please take good care of my Nii-san." After saying that, Menma's eyes opened little because he called Naruto 'his brother' inadvertently.
He smiled a little, but then he shook his head and looked at the doctor, who turned around to him. "I have to train with my team, I'm sure that they've been waiting for me for a while," Menma stated.
The doctor nodded and replied, "Don't worry, Menma-sama. Your brother will be in excellent hands. If anything happens, we will inform Hokage-sama immediately. You can go and do your affairs, Menma-sama. As I said, don't worry."
Menma nodded satisfied with the turn of events. He turned around to leave the room but suddenly the door opened abruptly, giving way to four women; Anko, Haku, Ino, and Tenten, along with Neji.
Neji was quiet in comparison to the women who looked quite concerned, except for Anko, who still didn't believe that Naruto was in the condition that she had heard from Ibiki.
Menma looked at Neji strangely, since he didn't know that he had some friendship with Naruto.
Neji noticed the look that Menma was giving him, but he ignored him and looked around the room since he couldn't see well because Menma was covering the entrance. Menma realized this and stepped back.
By doing so, Ino and Tenten quickly entered the room, followed by Anko, Haku, and Neji, who slowly came in.
Since Ino and Tenten came in first, they confirmed that Naruto was indeed comatose in bed.
Their eyes widened and were about to stand beside Naruto when the doctor stopped them and stated, "Sorry, but these are not visiting hours. Naruto-san is in a very delicate state, and we can't allow this amount of people in this room. Therefore, I will kindly ask you to leave."
Ino and Tenten became angry. "You don't understand, we're friends of Naruto-kun, and we're here to see him. You can't deny us that." Ino refuted with anger in her words.
Ino didn't say that she was Naruto's girlfriend since she didn't want that the people harassed her just for being the girlfriend of "the Hokage's lost son."
No, she didn't want that, plus she knew that Naruto wouldn't like that, and neither would she.
Tenten nodded and added, "She's right, we're his friends, you can't do this." After saying this, Anko also approached the bed along with Neji, who kept looking at Naruto. He thought that this issue was strange.
Since that mission in Kawa no Kuni, he had seen Naruto as someone strong. And after his conversation and the successful infiltration into the Hyūga compound, he started seeing Naruto as someone powerful and capable of doing almost everything.
That was the reason he thought it was weird. He knew that Naruto would never let down his guard, and if someone did this to him, it must have been someone very powerful. However, he didn't believe that someone had done something to him since he couldn't see signs of fighting or something like that. Therefore, he assumed that his condition was due to something else, which he would ask when he recovered.
Just then, Neji heard the doctor speaking, "I understand what you say, but as I said, Naruto-san is in a delicate state. Besides, it wouldn't be good for Naruto-san that so many people be in his room. So, if you want to visit him later, you can go to the reception desk and make an appointment. Now do me a favor and leave; I still have work to do."
All the girls were angry at this, especially Anko. From the moment she saw Naruto in that bed, she was automatically worried, but she said nothing and just kept her composure, enduring the doctor's words.
She was his sensei and lover; she could visit him whenever she wanted, a stupid doctor couldn't prevent her from that.
However, her patience finally snapped at the doctor's words. That was why she took a step forward and was about to say something when they all heard Menma speaking.
"Doctor-san, what's your name?"
The doctor turned and answered, "My name is Kitō, Menma-sama."
Menma nodded and continued, "Kitō-san, if you don't mind, I'd like that they stay in the room. I see nothing wrong with that, and my Oto-san wouldn't either. I believe that it's now when my Nii-san needs his friends."
"Oh well, if you believe it's okay, I don't think I can say no, Menma-sama," stated the doctor.
Then he turned to the others and saw their dumbfounded expressions.
He didn't understand it at first, but when Kito did, he stated, "Oh?! Did you not know? Naruto-san is the son of Hokage-sama."
The news was already spreading through the village, so he thought there was nothing wrong with telling them.
That pulled them out of their states and Ino asked quite surprised. "Did you just call Naruto-kun 'Nii-san'?"
Menma nodded, "Yes, my Oto-san told me the truth; Naruto is my brother."
Ino narrowed her eyes at his confession, with her voice crackling with slight rage, "Really? Now is he your brother? Did you accept him so quickly after what you said about him in the academy?" She thought Menma was a hypocrite after everything he said and did to Naruto in the Academy.
Menma sighed and answered, "You're right, I'm a hypocrite, and I know what I did was wrong. So I'll apologize to my Nii-san once he wakes up."
Ino disagreed again, and she was about to say something else when everyone heard Neji's voice. "Kitō-san, what is the status of Naruto-san?" Neji asked, causing everyone who had just arrived to calm down and wait for the doctor's response.
Kitō took some papers and read them before answering, "Naruto-san's condition is delicate. I did some studies, and I detected higher brain functions; it seems that it's processing a lot of information, but suddenly his brain stops working abruptly. It's something strange. Naruto-san doesn't show any external damage, and the problem is in his brain. It seems that someone overloaded his brain in some way, and also used some Jutsu so that Medical Ninjutsu can't heal him. It's strange."
Neji nodded, satisfied with the response while the girls were even more worried, and Menma asked out of curiosity, "Why didn't you tell that to my Oto-san?"
Kitō scratched his head and replied shamefaced, "Sorry, Menma-sama but your father left before I could give him this new information. But once he returns, I will tell him." Menma nodded.
Haku was still uneasy and asked, "But will he be okay?" The truth was that she knew little about medical issues, all she wanted to know was if Naruto would get well.
All of them looked at Kitō intently, waiting for a favorable response.
Kitō sighed before responding, "Sorry, Miss..." "Haku," Haku supplied, answering the unspoken question of Kitō, who nodded and continued. "I'm sorry, Haku-san, but we believe that Naruto-san won't wake up again. His state is severe. He can't even breathe on his own; he does it with the ventilator."
Everyone opened their eyes in shock; they couldn't believe it. Would Naruto never wake up? It should be a joke. That was why Anko stepped forward and grabbed the neck of the doctor's coat strongly as she said, "What does that mean? You're a damn doctor! I refuse to believe that, and for your own good, I suggest you to find a way to make him wake up." Anko stated angrily, pulling some snakes out from her sleeve.
Kitō turned pale since he knew about Anko and her reputation in the village. Hence, he quickly objected, "W-wait, w-wait Anko-san. Hokage-sama said he would bring Tsunade-sama to treat Naruto-san, and I'm sure she will find a way to heal Naruto-san." Kitō spoke hastily and with much fear because the snakes were on his body.
Anko calmed down a bit; she let him go and withdrew her snakes while stating, "That's better."
Kitō sighed in relief; he tried to get up, but he couldn't because someone jumped over him, throwing him to the floor again.
He looked up and saw Tenten. "Will Tsunade-sama come to take care of Naruto-kun personally? Now I'm sure that Naruto-kun will get well!" Tenten exclaimed with stars in her eyes; she really admired Tsunade, after all.
Kitō pushed Tenten aside, stood up, dusted off his clothes, and answered, "It could be, Hokage-sama said he would call her to heal Naruto-san, so that will be up to him." Tenten nodded and returned with the others.
Haku had heard a little bit about the Legendary Sannin, but what she knew was that Tsunade was the best Medical ninja of the Elemental Nations, and maybe she could help Naruto.
She didn't know how long it would take Naruto to awaken, but what she did know was that she would have to train hard and become stronger for the time when he woke up.
She didn't want to be a burden in the future; Naruto had already made clear the difference of levels between them, and she would have to train hard if she wanted to help Naruto in his plans for the future. Besides, she would have to adapt herself to the Kubikiribōcho, and she was sure that Anko could help her with that.
Ino was truly sad, she couldn't deny it, but she was sure that Naruto would wake up. Although she didn't know much about her, she knew that Tsunade was a famous Kunoichi due to her capabilities as a physician.
If she would help Naruto, then his recovery would be faster. The Hokage would just have to do things right for Naruto at least this time; that was what she thought.
Neji looked impassively. Yes, he was also worried; Naruto was the only person he could trust, and to be honest, he wanted Naruto to recover.
He didn't want that because Naruto could get the seal off his head, but because he considered Naruto as one of his friends.
Naruto had told him the truth; the seal removal was just a bonus.
Anko had mixed feelings; she was anxious because he was in a weakened condition.
She was sure that the Hokage had entered into his mind, and that was the reason behind the buzz that he was his son.
Why else would he tell the brat that Naruto was his brother? Yes, she was sure. Besides, nothing would prevent him from entering into his mind again, and if so, Naruto's plans could be compromised.
Besides that, she was angry, angry with Naruto because he didn't tell her anything. He didn't say he would leave on a mission; she just knew it because Haku told her.
That made her angry but also guilty. She had been a bit distanced from Naruto since the day they had returned from Nami no Kuni, just because they weren't having sex.
If she hadn't done that, maybe Naruto would have told her where he would go, and she would have been able to offer her help. Therefore, he wouldn't be in this condition.
Menma couldn't help smiling; his brother had friends who cared about him. He would do his best to convince Naruto to return with them and be the family that they should have been.
However, now he wouldn't demand anything; he didn't want to say anything that could create more distances between them.
Menma then shook his head and said, "Kitō-san, if something happens, please tell my father. I have to go to the training session."
He looked at the others, who had approached Naruto and uttered, "Bye, guys. Take care of my Nii-san."
Menma heard some noises in agreement, so he retired without saying anything else.
After Menma had left, Neji also went to the door and said, "I have to go too, see you later."
He stopped when he heard Tenten speaking. "Neji, wait. Why are you leaving so soon? Gai-sensei gave us permission to come here." Tenten asked.
Neji turned around and replied, "I have to leave, remember that we can't leave Lee alone, that idiot could kill himself at any time thanks to the weight he's carrying. Although Gai-sensei is with him, one more person never hurts."
Tenten only nodded at his explanation; Lee had changed a lot since the day when Karashi died. But hey, Lee knew what he was facing when he decided to become a Ninja.
Since he heard nothing more, he headed to the field where they used to train. He just wanted them to be there because he didn't want to go looking for them.
After a few moments, Kitō also withdrew, but not before saying he would return in a few hours, and he asked if some of them could look after Naruto.
They all volunteered, and Kitō couldn't say no. He headed for the Hokage Tower to give the new information to Minato.
Then the girls started talking about Naruto and everything they would do once he woke up.
Some topics weren't "soft", and Haku blushed because of it.
Meanwhile - Council Chamber
All the prominent clans and the most prestigious merchants of the village were in the room, waiting for the arrival of their Hokage, who suddenly appeared in a yellow flash.
He sat in his usual seat, looked at everyone present and said, "I think most of you already know it, so I'll be clear...Naruto is my son."
After saying this, almost everyone gasped, except for some people who already assumed this or already knew it.
Minato continued, "As you heard, Naruto's full name is: Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki."
Minato waited until someone said something about it, and he didn't have to wait long.
"Hokage-sama! That can't be possible! There has to be an explanation! That demon can't have any kind of relationship with you! Probably he used his demonic powers to make you believe that! There has to be a mistake!" Exclaimed a man of the civilian council.
Everyone had heard the rumors, and they expected them to be just that, rumors.
Minato became angry, but he did nothing. That behavior was his fault, so he couldn't reprimand them for making those comments.
What he would have to do from now on was to change that mindset, even if he had to do it by force. "No, there's no mistake, Naruto is my son, and I hope that you agree with this. Once he wakes up, he'll live with me and will be the heir of my family." Minato stated; the truth was that he wasn't too sure about that. He would have to convince Naruto to forgive him, which would be difficult, but he would do his best to make that happen.
Again, there were several gestures of disapproval in a significant part of the civilian council, and before anyone could heat the matters, Shibi Aburame spoke. "Hokage-sama, I wonder what is the reason for your sudden change of opinion. Something must have happened yesterday to make you change your mind," the Aburame clan leader spoke monotonously.
Minato sighed and stated, "What I'm about to say is something that I hid from all of you. So please, don't interrupt me."
Minato looked at the others and saw them nodding.
Then he glanced at Hiruzen, who gave him the nod in agreement.
Minato continued, "The Kyūbi attack was not something natural as the claims say. That day, a man attacked the village, and that man was controlling the Kyūbi. I fought against him; I defeated him, and I managed to remove the control of the Kyūbi from him. After that, the mysterious man withdrew, but he promised that he would return to take the control of the Kyūbi again."
Minato then paused and looked at the expressions on their faces, many of them had astonished looks while others kept calm. As they promised, nobody said anything.
Minato sighed again, "Everything started there. Most of you already know that the Kyūbi is a being composed of Chakra only, and nobody can kill him because of that. If someone tries it, he will revive afterward, and that would have been something dangerous because that man knew how to control the Kyūbi. If he controlled the Kyūbi again, it would mean the end of Konoha. I thought that that day, and I believed that the only solution was to seal the Kyūbi again. But there were some problems. First, almost nobody can withstand all the power of the Kyūbi because he would try to recover his chakra and would quickly corrupt his Jinchūriki. And the other thing was that I needed a newborn since babies don't develop their chakra networks yet. And only one thing came to my mind that day." Minato made another break so that everyone could process his words.
Most people began to understand where this was going, "I took my two sons. Menma and Naruto. They're twins; they were similar that night, but something happened after the sealing process, and it was then when I made a great mistake. I took my two children and Kushina to the place where the Kyūbi was, to perform the sealing process. That night, I had planned to die, but something else happened. I'm not sure what it was, but I wasn't the one who died. It was Kushina; she took my place. But I think it was also my fault for trusting in something which I didn't have much knowledge in."
The fact that Minato had planned to sacrifice himself that day had surprised them, but they didn't understand why. Thus, they continued listening attentively; the story was getting interesting and revealing.
"As I said, it was impossible for almost anyone to retain the full power of the Kyūbi, so I did something that I thought it would work. I summoned the Shinigami, and by doing so, my life already belonged to him, and once we had completed our deal, he should have taken my soul, but it didn't happen. I didn't know that something would happen to Kushina, so I just continued with our deal. The Shinigami had to remove all the power from the Kyūbi and seal it inside of Menma while I sealed his consciousness inside Naruto with a special seal. But after that, something happened; Naruto suffered some changes, changes that are now visible. His red hair, his elongated fangs, and those whisker marks. I thought that the Kyūbi took possession of Naruto. Maybe if I analyzed things carefully, Naruto wouldn't have to suffer because of me. Sandaime-sama, if I had paid you attention that day, none of this would have happened." Minato said looking at Hiruzen. Again, everyone was surprised; they didn't know that Minato did that just to save their village.
Hiruzen had heard the whole story with great consideration, many details were new to him, but he knew almost everything. So when he heard being appointed by Minato, he wasn't surprised.
He took a puff on his pipe and replied, "You're right, Hokage-sama. You were really stubborn that day, but I see that you finally came to your senses. Naruto-kun is someone cold for what I could see, but I'm sure the reason of that is because he has never known the love of parents, so it's up to you to fix that, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen finished, releasing the smoke.
Minato nodded at his suggestion; it was certainly something that he would do once Naruto woke up.
He then sat back and just then, he heard someone speaking. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama, the story you just told us was fascinating and also revealing. But I wonder, how did you realize that Naruto wasn't just an incarnation of the Kyūbi? What made you change your mind?" Someone of the civilian council asked, many nodded and waited for Minato's answer.
Minato looked at Inoichi, and he quickly understood it, "I can explain that." Inoichi stated, drawing the attention of everyone.
"Let me guess, you went into Naruto's mind, am I wrong?" Shikaku asked from his place. For the first time, he was paying attention to these meetings, he had always found them annoying, but this time, it was the exception.
Inoichi smiled and nodded, "You are quite perceptive, as always. However, you're partly right. Yesterday, Hokage-sama called me to enter into Naruto's mind since he was in a state, let's say it, favorable for us. Although you may not know it, Naruto has amazing mental barriers. Even in his state it was hard for me to make Hokage-sama enter into his mind. I couldn't accompany him because if I did, I would have wasted all my chakra. However, I could hear and see everything that happened there, and let me tell you that Naruto isn't the Kyūbi's incarnation; I saw the Kyūbi behind a cage inside Naruto's mind. Furthermore, there wasn't any sign that he was controlling him or attempting to."
Then Hiashi spoke, "Are you sure that it wasn't due to his weakened state? Perhaps, the Kyūbi lost control of his body because Naruto is now in a coma, and for that reason, he can't control his movements."
Minato shook his head and answered, "No, that's not possible. Not with the seal that Naruto has on his body, as I said, it's special. That seal wouldn't allow the Kyūbi to control Naruto completely; that would only happen if Naruto released the full power of the Kyūbi. But that's not possible since Naruto doesn't possess any of his Chakra. That confirmed my theories. Naruto isn't the Kyūbi. He's my son." Minato ended.
Almost all the Council members changed their mind after hearing the story. They didn't blame their Hokage. It was a mistake, and even the greatest men sometimes made mistakes in their lives.
Someone in the back of the room spoke. "Hokage-sama, what's the current condition of Naruto-kun?"
Minato looked in the direction of the voice, seeing Danzō with his traditional blank expression.
Minato narrowed dangerously; nobody noticed that except for Danzō. Minato shook his head; he would ask for an explanation when everyone left the room. "Naruto is in a very critical condition. According to what the doctors have told me, it's unlikely that he will wake up again."
After saying this, almost everyone in the room opened their eyes with concern, even Danzō because it wouldn't be suitable for his plans.
Minato noticed these reactions and continued, "But don't worry, I know someone who can help him."
Everyone was confused again, and this time, Tsume Inuzuka asked, "Who would be that person who can help your puppy, Hokage-sama?"
Minato smiled at the nickname; he always thought it was funny the way the Inuzuka's called their children.
Minato didn't answer that question; it was another person who suddenly became visible in the room. "That person is Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya replied releasing his camouflage jutsu.
Most of the ninjas and civilians greeted him with a "Jiraiya-sama."
Jiraiya walked across the room and stood next to Minato, who smiled at him and gave him permission to speak. "I think you all are aware of her healing ability. However, you should also know that she left the village for personal reasons. Minato decided that it would be best to bring her back for her to take care of Naruto. I'll take care of that once this meeting is over, I will leave the village to find her and bring her here as soon as possible. Although I'm sure that it'll be quite difficult to persuade her, it involves the life of my godson, and I can't let her whims cost the life of someone who has been through a lot." Jiraiya stated; all nodded waiting for their Hokage say something else.
Minato then looked back at everyone in the room, then he looked at Jiraiya and declared, "Well, you won't have to wait any longer, everyone dismissed."
With that said, everyone rose up and left the room slowly.
Meanwhile, a middle-aged man; stocky and not very tall, was thinking with great concern. "This isn't good, Kyōfu-sama. They might realize about your entire organization if they re-enter into your mind. Let's just hope that that doesn't happen again. I have to report this to Gatō; I'm sure that everyone who has the seal is feeling the same. I must do it quickly before everyone thinks Kyōfu-sama is dying," Kohta thought.
He was a man who had come to Konoha due to Naruto's request. Since yesterday, he had been feeling that the seal on his wrists began burning him, indicating that the leader of the Yakuza was in a situation of extreme risk.
Kohta was a famous man for selling the best jewelry in almost every corner of the Elemental Nations.
However, it was pretty evident that he had dark and dirty dealings with the Yakuza, the reason why he had become so powerful and had achieved a seat in Konoha's Council.
So far, he was the only Yakuza in Konoha, but he had sufficient means to contact the other bases. He had to inform Gatō about all this before things got out of control in the organization.
Danzō also left there without any problems; he also had much to think about, and he hoped that Tsunade returned to the village soon. She must heal his future weapon.
For that reason, he would send several of his squads to find her; they would have to bring her to Konoha, even by force. Little did he know that a man with blond hair would visit his base and complicate his movements even more.
Nami no Kuni – Tazuna's House.
Tsunami was currently thinking worried in the living room. When Tsunami had awakened the day before, she thought Naruto was still there because she had seen him in her bed.
Nevertheless, he had informed her that he was just a clone since the original left because he had something else to do.
She saw nothing unusual about that, so she enjoyed her day with Naruto's clone, like talking and walking around with him.
Inari was with them, and she could see that Naruto had already accepted that Inari called him Oto-san.
Most of the village people laughed at that, but they weren't mocking since everyone respected Naruto, the new hero of Nami.
Nonetheless, after a few minutes of walking through the village, she had seen that Naruto's clone began to sweat and lose his color.
She had worried a bit, but then she remembered that it was just a clone, and he would possibly just disappear. Therefore, she had asked him what about it.
Flashback - One Day Before
"What's wrong, Naruto-kun? Are you about to disappear? I wanted to spend more time with you." Tsunami spoke a little saddened because Naruto would leave, and she would have to wait for him to come back again.
Inari, who was also with them, looked with concern at his 'new' Oto-san, "Oto-san, please stay longer, I still want to introduce you to my friends." Inari pleaded, waiting and thinking that this would make Naruto stay a little longer.
Naruto's clone had seen much of what the original Naruto had witnessed, since he had activated his Rinnegan and unconsciously had shared what he had seen with him.
The clone felt increasingly weaker since that moment, and when he felt that he was about to disappear, he looked at Tsunami and weakly said, "N-No, s-som-mething b-bad h-has-s happ-pened, T-Tsunami-chan. *Gasp* I-I c-can f-feel t-that something serious-s has h-ha-appened t-to the orig-ginal. *Gasp* I'm a-about t-to disappear. *Gasp* T-take c-care you t-two, we'll meet a-again." And then the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Tsunami and Inari quite concerned.
Flashback End
Tsunami then sighed and stood up. She had much to do today, and soon they would move because her father was the new Feudal Lord of Nami, so the villagers had unanimously decided that they should live in the former mansion of Gatō.
They didn't like the idea at first, but people convinced them in the week in which Naruto hadn't returned yet.
When she was about to go upstairs, she heard someone knocking on the door. "One moment," she shouted before walking toward the door.
She opened it, and there could see three men with black cloaks and one with a white one, everyone with strange masks.
Tsunami instantly realized that these men weren't a good thing, "Who are you? What do you want?" She asked concerned.
She was sure that it wasn't Naruto this time; she knew he wouldn't do something like that again, plus his clone had told her that something serious had happened to the original.
The Root with white coat stepped forward and asked, "Are you Tsunami? Tazuna's daughter?"
Tsunami narrowed her eyes and replied, "No, I'm not, now stop bothering me and go elsewhere." She then started to close the door, but that Root stopped her.
"I hope that you reconsider this, Tsunami-san. For the sake of your son," The white-coated Root stated, showing one unconscious and tied Inari.
Tsunami opened her eyes in shock; she lunged towards the Root, but she couldn't do much because he jumped back.
Tsunami growled and demanded, "Give me my son back! Why are you doing this? Who are you?"
The white dressed Root looked at the other members of his squadron; he motioned, and they all nodded.
Tsunami then saw that Inari had disappeared in a puff of smoke, and before she could say anything, the four Root men surrounded her.
They tied her up while one of the men carried her on his shoulder. She moved as much as she could, she but could do little.
"Sorry, Tsunami-san, but we have our orders, don't make this more difficult. We don't want Naruto-senpai becoming completely crazy with us."
Tsunami stopped moving; she looked to where the voice came from and saw the man with the white coat.
She glared him and stated, "So, are you going to capture me to kill Naruto-kun later? Then kill me, I'll never let you do that to Naruto-kun! I would rather die before you do that. And if you don't want to do it, I'll do it for you!"
After she said this, all the Root members tensed, and the leader stated, "Well, that's something I cannot allow. The best thing would be to put you to sleep for a while until you are useful to us." Then he made a sign to the Root, who had picked Tsunami up.
He lowered her to the ground and prepared to knock her out. However, before he could, he noticed that some plants began to sprout from the ground.
He and his team instinctively jumped out of the area. All of them drew their Tantō as they stood in defensive stances.
"I can't let you take her, the feudal family of Nami no Kuni is under the protection of Kyōfu-sama. I don't like killing people, but if you don't leave this place, I will be forced to use deadly force," stated a voice. They could hear it coming from all directions; they weren't sure of its exact location.
"Who are you? This is Konoha's business; stay away from this," replied the squad leader.
Just then, they could hear the voice speaking again. "This is your last chance, leave this place or I will have to kill you."
"Well that's not possible; we can't leave this place without our objective. We'll have to kill you then. But before we do that, tell me, what's your name?" The leader demanded, and just then, he heard a voice behind him. "You can call me Kitsune."
Notes:
Yo! What's up?! The chapter's done.
I want to clarify this, if you think Menma accepted Naruto too quickly as his brother, I will say this. I made it clear that Menma would be like Naruto of the canon, only less weak and stupid. Nothing more than that, you can get an idea of what I mean.
Well, the episode was a filler one (I guess); I think that in the next chapter, Naruto would be waking up from his coma, so wait for the outcome.
That's all, and until next time!